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On the heels of Pope Benedict XVI's sudden resignation, Brazilians in the full swing of Carnival called on the country's newly elected Senate president, who is at the center of a corruption investigation, to follow the example set by His Holiness and step down.

The accusations of corruption leveled at Calheiros by the country's top prosecutor were not made public until the same day of his victory [pt]. Calheiros himself did not mention the investigation in his opening address as Senate president.

Outraged by the secrecy surrounding the affair, Brazilians quickly mobilized at the time against Calheiros, a member of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB). Carnival revelers took advantage of the pontiff's departure to reignite protests amid the festivities.

Blogger Genésio Braganza wrote [pt] that the Pope has provided a great example for Brazilian politicians:

While the world reacts to the Supreme Pontiff's resignation with congratulations for the greatness of His attitude, in the case of Brazilians, the absence of resignation causes blushing, anger, dissatisfaction, sadness and frustration!

“Renan, if I can you, you can, too. Resign!”. The Pope sends a message to Renan in a photomontage by badarts blog.

Neither the high-ranking position nor the allegations of corruption are anything new for Calheiros, re-elected in 2010 for his third term. The senator from the northeastern state of Alagoas was head of the upper chamber from 2005 to 2007, until a corruption scandal nicknamed “Renangate” [pt] forced him to resign. With the move, the congressman avoided a possible disqualification from holding office, which would have prevented his re-election for the current term.

The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI is by far the top “Trending Topic” on Twitter Brazil today. Users suggest that the new Senate President Renan Calheiros (PMDB-ALAGOAS), a faithful follower of the government, whoever the ruler is, follow the footsteps of the German [pontiff]. A sweet dream, but it is Carnival and it costs nothing to fantasize. Who knows?!

The message below, by Tico Santa Cruz, was shared over 250 times on Twitter:

@athosronaldo: We hold more than 1.3 million signatures in a petition to oust Renan and it is the Pope who resigns.

That online petition [pt] was set up in Avaaz by sales representative Emiliano Magalhães a few hours after Calheiros’ election and surpassed, in the heart of Carnival Sunday, the target established by the organizers of 1.36 million signatures, equivalent to 1 percent of the national electorate. The new goal is now 1.6 million – twice as many as the number of Calheiros’ electors. As of February 14, the petition was only 80,000 signatures shy of its target.

Although the petition has no value from the legal standing, it will be used to “stir things up in the media and demand the resignation of the Senate president”. The campaign's introduction reads [pt]:

Brazilian people! We have just been made buffoons!!!
Senator Renan Calheiros has just been elected Senate president with 56 secret votes! This is absurd! And we shall not be silent in the face of such ATROCITY!!!
We must not have our hands tied!

The Carnival block party “Out Renan and the Guisers” refers to the 56 masked senators who voted in the dark for the Senate president.

Besides virtual petitions, the Brazilian population has been taking to the street throughout Brazil even over the bank holiday weekend to demand Calheiros’ impeachment or resignation. The Carnival block party “Out Renan and the Guisers” was quickly improvised in Rio de Janeiro on Ash Wednesday. According to the event page on Facebook [pt], the idea is simple:

Mask produced for the carnival block by Gustavo Fernochi. Instructions: “Save the image to your computer. At the time of printing, adjust the size of the paper. Power will always be with the people!”"

Make your own mask, bring your broom, compose marchinhas and send them to the organizers… use your creativity and come up with a way to manifest and have fun at the same time. The idea is to innovate, educate, entertain, and most of all: to protest.

Revelers have not missed a samba beat, composing several satirical songs especially for the 2013 Carnival, such as Renan's Marchinha [pt] below. With lyrics by Carlos Cabalini, it could well have been the soundtrack of the carnival block party of the 840,809 people who voted for Calheiros:

Oh Renan, poor Renan
You're not in the wrong
The blame lies with whoever thought
that in the Senate you belong

But who was it, who was it -
Which idiot elected you so unduly?
I know who it was, I know -
That idiot was yours truly.

Many other public events are being organized by the group Fora Renan Calheiros [Renan Calheiros Out, pt] on Facebook, to culminate in major protests in several Brazilian cities and abroad on February 24. Since legal proceedings against Calheiros in Supreme Federal Court “shall take a little while” [pt] – perhaps long enough for the senator's term to come to an end – the Senate may come to inspire the upcoming Dia do Basta [Day of Enough] [pt], a series protests against political corruption to be held in more than 60 cities on April 19, 20, and 21.

The creative English translation of Renan's Marchinha was kindly provided by Andrew Cummings

Sorry, but we’re clowns. I’m from Brazil, was born in Brazil, I’m Brazilian and have consciousness he was elected by Brazilian people to take the senator chair! Everybody could keep up with the news about all his suspect actions so, if Alagoas people wish vote him, I feel the problem isn’t in the fact Calheiros has been becaming head of Senate ( by the way, the votation was a democratic act and he won with the majority votes) but the will of people to wish have this kind of person representing themselves interests.